Beware: Fake Cloudflare CAPTCHAs Are Draining Crypto Wallets!

[adam.sandler]

Hello all my friends! A topic of vital importance and seriousness will now be explained to you which has caused me substantial concern.
Cybercriminals attack crypto wallets by using deceptive Cloudflare captchas.
A genuine threat exists which makes our assets vulnerable to destruction and should not be ignored. I request your attention to read through my post until its completion and pen down your thoughts . I used multiple different resources as my information source and I have included all references after section to provide you with factual verification.

What's happening to our wallets?
Hackers have developed an innovative way to violate user privacy through fake CAPTCHA websites. Through fake CAPTCHA pages hackers reproduce cloudflare Turnstile or reCAPTCHA formats to deceive users. The pages precisely replicate official security system interfaces so users mistake them for genuine protection platforms. Clicking on the "Verify I'm human" button leads to a harmful file download that hackers can exploit to steal your wallet's private key or recovery phrase if you make a mistake. What's the result? Your wallet drains completely within a few minutes which leaves only disappointment.



How does this attack work?
The following breakdown illustrates the detailed process hackers use for their illegal activities.
They create a deceptive appearance:
These hackers produce web pages that imitate the appearance of Cloudflare network pages precisely. The warning message called "I'm not a robot" appears with exactly the same visual display as the genuine version. These pages primarily appear in advertising materials as well as PDFs and crypto-related websites. Each part of the attack mimics natural wear so that users do not recognize its falsity.

1. They play with your emotions:
A different page will appear once you click on the captcha button. Users need to access the Windows Run menu through commands where they should paste a certain command followed by pressing Enter. The commands use mshta.exe as an example to activate hidden malicious scripts.

2. Your system receives malicious software from their actions.
Running this command activates a hidden PowerShell code. The downloaded zip files either have the names "K1.zip" or "K2.zip" and contain the malware Lumma Stealer as well as LegionLoader. Lumma Stealer and LegionLoader malware search through your system for files under the names "seed.txt", "metamask.txt" and "wallet.txt" to steal sensitive data.

3. The data automatically transmits to their server.
The malware transmits the obtained data through control servers which often operate under .shop domains. The network infrastructure used by the servers spreads them so widely that tracking becomes highly challenging.


Famous malware in this story
Some of these malware are quite famous that we should know:
Lumma Stealer:
This is a type of malware (Malware-as-a-Service) that aims to steal passwords, browser information and of course crypto wallets. It works very quickly and can collect a lot of information.

LegionLoader:
After clicking on the captcha, this one downloads an MSI file that installs a program called "Kilo Verfair Tools". But in reality, this activates LegionLoader, which uses advanced tricks to place a malicious extension in your browser and steal your information.

Pump.Fun and XWORM:
In this type of attack, users are taken to fake pages and after being tricked, they install the XWORM malware that is designed to steal wallet information.


Some statistics
According to Kaspersky, in 2023, "Crypto Drainer" attacks stole more than $300 million from 320,000 people. or for example, ReliaQuest says that from October to December 2024, the number of fake CAPTCHA sites almostdoubled! This shows how serious the issue is.
https://www.kaspersky.com/about/press-releases/kaspersky-reports-135-surge-in-interest-for-crypto-stealing-drainers-on-dark-web
https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/what-is-a-crypto-wallet-drainer/29713/
https://www.reliaquest.com/blog/using-captcha-for-compromise/


Warnings from other users
On X (formerly Twitter), many are also warning. For example, SkylineETH made a post with 557,000 views saying that if you see a Cloudflare captcha, do not click because it will download a malicious file. Or KookCapitalLLC said the same thing with 3.8 million views. This shows that the crypto community is very concerned.

 


How to save ourselves?
We can now examine straightforward practical solutions after grasping the situation better.
Be vigilant:
Avoid executing all console commands that come from unknown origins. Stop what you are doing if the captcha appears unusual.

Have a strong antivirus:
An up-to-date antivirus or EDR tool should be installed because it detects harmful commands.

Turn off automatic downloads:
Users should disable automatic download functionality from their browser's settings including Chrome.

Get a hardware wallet:
Hardware wallets store your keys offline to provide excellent security because they are not connected to the internet.

Enable two-factor authentication:
MFA enables peace of mind so activate it for your accounts including email and finances.

Regularly check:
Regularly check your website links and files for malicious scripts if you maintain a website domain.



The last word
Nowadays hackers demonstrate both creativity and dangerousness through their tactics. The scammers profit from our trust in CAPTCHA to carry out their money stealing operations. People should keep their eyes open alongside watching out for emerging hacking strategies. The well-known principle suggests that trust brings benefits yet caution delivers better protection.

This article should bring benefits to readers. Your comments along with your experience should be shared with me. Please look after both yourself and your valuable possessions!



References:
https://www.techzine.eu/news/security/125500/captchas-are-novel-delivery-method-for-lumma-stealer-malware/
https://www.techzine.eu/news/security/128094/phishing-campaign-mimics-captcha-to-spread-malware/
https://cybersecuritynews.com/fake-captchas-cloudflare-turnstile-legionloader/
https://cybersecuritynews.com/sectoprat-as-weaponized-cloudflare/
https://www.morelogin.com/blog/fake-cloudflare-pages-targeting-crypto-wallets

[DubemIfedigbo001]

How to save ourselves?
We can now examine straightforward practical solutions after grasping the situation better.
Be vigilant:
Avoid executing all console commands that come from unknown origins. Stop what you are doing if the captcha appears unusual.

How do you even know if the captcha appears unusual? You choose the sites you visit, so before visiting the site, you should trust that the URL is genuine, else you might even be compromised before the captcha appears.

Have a strong antivirus:
An up-to-date antivirus or EDR tool should be installed because it detects harmful commands.

Antivirus are good, especially those with subscriptions, but aren't the best security available since some viruses preservation aren't contained in their virus definitions and may likely escape being quarantined or blocked.

Turn off automatic downloads:
Users should disable automatic download functionality from their browser's settings including Chrome.

Most scripts aren't downloaded, spywares and Trojans are installed directly even without your notice.

Get a hardware wallet:
Hardware wallets store your keys offline to provide excellent security because they are not connected to the internet.

Good point, hardware wallets are the best, followed by air gaped devices. Try to limit or eliminate Internet usage on devices that have your wallets or even having emails linked to your exchange account logged into a device you use in constantly visiting the net.

NOTE: This topic should be in beginners and help and not here since you're not accusing a company directly, you can move it yourself

[adam.sandler]

Thanks to my good friend for your comments and advice but there are some things I need to say
It seems you did not read my post fully and carefully

How do you even know if the captcha appears unusual? You choose the sites you visit, so before visiting the site, you should trust that the URL is genuine, else you might even be compromised before the captcha appears.

The points you made are very correct and guiding. Thank you.
Yes, in some cases we ourselves choose the site we review, but there are times when we will be transferred to another site by a site or a program, such as clicking on an ad or link shorteners, etc.
So these transfers can be dangerous, but not necessarily. Regarding selected sites, I should also say that for those who have a site, I made a small mention of checking the site to make sure it is not infected with malware in this context.
This has happened, but due to the complexity of this process, these hackers have used it much less and have preferred to use the easier way, and for this reason I only made a small mention of it.

Antivirus are good, especially those with subscriptions, but aren't the best security available since some viruses preservation aren't contained in their virus definitions and may likely escape being quarantined or blocked.

You have made very good points and I agree with you.
But we should not forget that using antiviruses and keeping them up to date can be a good barrier to maintaining our security. If we look at the evolutionary path of antiviruses, we will realize that they have even been prepared for some of the cases you mentioned and are effective.
Let us remember that malware, viruses and things like these are being produced every day and in large quantities, and we should not abandon the use of antiviruses or any other security method because of this or consider them useless.

Most scripts aren't downloaded, spywares and Trojans are installed directly even without your notice.

You are right about this too
But considering the content of my post, this statement of yours is one of the reasons why I said that you probably did not read my post well.
Because I have written an example of malware that is automatically downloaded after CAPTCHA confirmation and I have also given a security solution for it.
There are many ways in which malware can enter our system and I do not want to teach about each of them now.

NOTE: This topic should be in beginners and help and not here since you're not accusing a company directly, you can move it yourself

I searched for a suitable topic related to hacking, malware and related issues, but I thought this was the most relevant to my content.
About the beginners and help forum, I must say that when I first checked it to choose a forum, I realized that it was more for guiding and educating beginners, which in my opinion was still far from the topic of my article.
Do you know of another suitable forum for my post?